Emery Awards Dinner

Its that time of the year again when one of my favorite fall events takes place. This past Tuesday I went to the Hetrick Martin Institute, Inc.'s Emery Awards Dinner held at Cipriani's on 42nd Street. This is the very same HMI whose Fall Fest was profiled here almost two months ago. HMI is the city's and arguably the nation's premier youth-GLBT oriented agency dedicated to educating and protecting youth at risk in the GLBT community. I would encourage you all to go into their website and read about their work and maybe even make a contribution. There is even a live auction right on the site that will help raise funds for the organization's amazing programs.

http://www.hmi.org/



I had as my personal invitees Roger Rodriguez, William Adriance and the beautiful and lovely Quinta (Quin) Chia. I knew that the chemistry of this group would be fun because Roger is just the life of the party and William brings a fresh perspective to these events. While I had just met Quin, she immediately struck me as the kind of person whomakes these types of events way memorable with her quips and smile. I want to start off by thanking them for accepting my invite and making the night a success.





We me in my office. For those of you unfamiliar with where i work, I am on a 45th floor--Penthouse floor. The view of the city is striking and from the other side you have a birds eye view of Rockefeller Center. It night, the view is even more breath taking. Roger and I rode into the city together and William joined us, with Quin arriving soon after. Both got dressed and with in minutes we were ready to walk the red Carpet. It was a warm and clear night so we strolled to the venue. William had gone by early in the afternoon and peeked inside so he advised us that it was really laid out.




When we entered, waiters greeted us with flute crystal glasses filled with bellinis. It was going to be a great evening. I met friends I had not seen in months and as we entered the grand ballroom, you could feel the energy in the air. The tables were beautifully set with unique centerpieces that had balls of flowers floating in water in a square crystal vase. Roasted shrimp on a bed of asparagus was the appetizer. I asked for Malbec as did Quin. William and Roger opted for the Chardonnay.



My dear friend, Thomas Krever--the executive director of HMI, Inc.--opened with remarks. He really got the attendees going and the evening started with Tim Gunn being the MC. Singer EVE read a speech and call upon everyone to support the work that HMI performs. It was followed by a performance by Cheyenne and then the acceptance speech by Mary Louise Parker. I managed to get my picture taken with Cheyenne, Eve and BD Wong who also was in attendance in support of the agency. I hope that next year I can grow the support I give to the agency.



The main course of the evening was roast beef with polenta. The dessert was a choice between chocolate mousse cake or cheese cake... which would have you chosen. I loved the fact that Quin was so funny and that she kept me company most of the night especially since the kids were off and about being kids. Roger wore so much bling that I thought we would be blinded... over $125K worth of jewelry. The best part of the evening was the after party, dancing with Bianca del Rio, Mme Chia and then Roger. I have great friends and it was really fun spending time with them and making new friends (Quin). I cant wait for the next event and I will definitely have Quin there--she made the night!

ADC's White Tie DInner at the Waldorf Astoria

Tonite my friends and I had a great time celebrating the 200th Anniversary of the Abyssinian Baptist Church Gala Dinner at the Waldorf Astoria and its community development arm. It was an amazing evening star-studded full of the creme de la creme of NY's political glitterati and celebrities. The evening began with a VIP reception in the East Room.



Fresh crabcakes and duck-filled egg rolls were served with four open bars. As people mingled, pictures were taken and the room became abuzz when the honoree of the evening, the Rev. Calvin Butts. While we hobnobbed with a whos who of NY, it became clear that the evening was going to be a memorable one. The women were dressed in beautiful designer dresses and then men decked out to the hilt in their finest.



Within the hour, the dinner chimes were going off and we walked to the Grand Ballroom. It was amazing. The centerpiece of out table was a bouquet of peach colored roses that added warmth to the evening. Actresss Lynn Whitfiled walked around the floor towards the good reverend to congratulate him. Dennis Walcott and Mayor Bloomberg schmoozed the crowd as people settled. Media mogul Mort Zuckerman pressed the flesh. The evening began with Cicely Tyson as mistress of ceremonies, accompanied by actor and dancer Avery Brooks emcee. The Abyssinian Choir sang the black national anthem. It was a beautiful rendition. That was followed by words from Charlie Rangel, Mike Bloomberg and Sheena Wright, President and CEO of the ADC. In the meantime, the first entree was served--it was minced beets with goat cheese served on a bed of arugula.


Cicely Tyson then introduced the Dance Theater of Harlem with a special choreography created by Arthur Miller created especially for Rev. Calvin Butts. It was amazing to watch and they were so graceful. Then the main course was served-- a filet mignon served with potato fingers and asparagus in a white sauce. During the meal, Jennifer Holiday belted out a song by Duke Ellington and then the evening really kicked up. You can feel the energy in the air as Jennifer hit her high notes.



Then Sen. Hillary Clinton arrived and received a resounding standing ovation. We whistled and hollered. She read a letter from Barack Obama congratulating all. She re-affirmed her support for the president-elect and again she received a standing ovation. No matter what is said about her, she is adored by the community and we stand by her! She was followed by former President Clinton who presented remarks about the state of the country, support for the new president elect and congratulating the good reverend. Dessert was a chocolate box with chocolate mousse and fresh raspberries on top and gold shavings gracing the lid. The event was a grand time had.

ELECTION 2008

So there is a tremendous amount of energy in the air today in New York City. I could not cast my vote this morning because there was so much disorganization and long lines... So I went to my office and as I walked through Election Plaza (aka Rockefeller Center) I was again inspired to try it again. So I am sharing with you the pictures I took around the area and you can appreciate the environment.

As you can see, Rockefeller Center put the electorate map under the ice and will color the states blue or red according to the returns. It is amazing what they will do with technology! Also in full view was a wave of American Flags blowing in the wind so graciously, making anyone watching them proud to be an American exercising this precious right.





Finally what election would not be complete with mascots. It was great seeing foreigners having their pic taken with the Democratic Donkey and Republican Elephant. Its like a worldwide celebration that end of the Bush era is finally here! For the record, I went to vote in the afternoon and i cast my vote. Afterwards I went to Rockefeller Center with my friend Ron Andujar after dinner with friends and we were part of an exciting, moving crowd that celebrated this great occasion as it happened. It was awesome to be part of this historic event. The best part of this all is that you knew you were sharing it with the world because there were people from so many nationalites all over there sharing this with us--truly awesome! Hope you enjoy the pics.

APIASF Dinner Fundraiser

Its that time of the year where the capital of not-for-profits hold their annual gala fundraisers. Last week it was the Asian Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund. My guest, William, who is Filipino born in Hawaii, appeared to enjoy himself. Among some of the surprises we found were Sanyaja Whats-his-name who could not be booted off of American Idol soon enough, an auction that included the Coca Cola Polar Bear and a guitar signed by Miley Cyrus and signed headshots by the man who could really use some basic hair products.



The reception was the auction along with delicious appetizers (tandoori chicken, mini quiches, and salmon and capers on melba toast, among others). There were two fully stocked open bars and a marine band played music. People were dressed in all sorts of ethnic clothings... Indian, Chinese, Thai etc. It was colorful and beautiful to look at.

The event was fun, the table beautifully laid out and the food excellent and very ethnic. The only drawback was the music, especially the two songs by Sanjaya, were off key and elicited a lukewarm applause. (I could have used a Bayer or two after his rendition of "keep your eyes open" or something to that effect. The woman who sang the National Anthem switched keys midway through the song. On a more ironic level, two ladies sitting at our table were from the same region that William's family is from in the Philippines.


Also on our table were three ladies and a gentleman that were part of the Asian advertising agency responsible for the bulletin published for the event. The highlight of the evening was when William asked and everyone (except me--the non-Asian) agreed how is it that an Asian event serves all this food without rice or noodles... go figure!

It was fun and the goody bag even more so! The next event will be the Emery Awards at Cipriani's with Chayenne Jackson performing, Mary Louise Parker receiving the honoree award and Tim Gunn hosting. We should look forward to a posting here or at William Adriance's blog about that one--stay tuned!